A/N: Thanks for the lovely, lovely reviews! This story sure has taken off in a good direction. Now I know that my sentenced were quite short and clipped, I thought that when I was writing these past chapters, but they were all written at 2:00AM and I was too tired to care. So I appreciate all the reviews and I will think more about the writing tips the readers gave. Do not forget that when you are finished reading this chapter….REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! Now on to the next chapter!
Chapter 4-A Letter and Marriage
Christine woke up to the sunlight shining bright through the sheer curtains of her balcony doors. She rubbed her eyes and snuggled back under the covers for a little more sleeping time. Before closing her eyes again, she looked on her nightstand to see that the little clock read, 11:22.
Oh my! She thought jumping out of bed quickly. How could she sleep that long? Erik and Christine sat on the beach until the wee hours of the morning, but she had never slept that late in her entire life. She was afraid that Erik would be angry for her sleeping so late and she would soon hear his lecture on how one misses half the day if they sleep late. She hurriedly put on all of her clothes and did a quick glance in the mirror at her unmanageable curly mane. As quickly as she could, she pulled a brush through it and calmed it down the best that she could. When finished, she glanced back at the clock. 11:47! I better get downstairs! She quickly made her bed and ran out the door down the stairs and stopped when she heard Erik talking to someone.
"I will pay you 5,000 francs a week. That should be a more than considerable amount considering that you will be living under my roof and eating my food." Christine heard Erik say. She stepped down one more step to hear more.
"Yes, Monsieur." Christine heard a woman say quietly. There was silence in downstairs and Christine stepped down another step to hear more when she stepped on a weak floorboard and the floor creaked. Erik looked up from the piece of paper he held in his hand and stood up from his chair.
"Christine, my dear, why don't you come down here?" He yelled sweetly with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Christine blushed at the thought of eavesdropping and being caught. She quietly made her way down the rest of the stairs and walked into the front room seeing Erik standing by his chair with a piece of paper in his hand and a young blonde girl sitting on the sofa.
"Christine, this is our new maid, Madeleine. Madeleine, this is my fiancée Christine." Christine wanted to throw up hearing those words but smiled sweetly at the young girl.
"Well, Christine here will show you to your room." Erik said as an order. Christine looked questioningly at him and he answered,
"The room across the hall from yours." She instantly obeyed taking Madeleine upstairs and into the room across from Christine's. Christine opened the door allowing Madeleine to go in and followed closing the door behind her.
"Madeleine, do you know what you have gotten yourself into?" Christine asked urgently. Madeleine turned around and stared at her.
"He told me that I shall never see what's beneath his mask and if I do see and I tell anyone about it, then I shall be murdered." Madeleine answered quietly.
"And you weren't scared? Why didn't you just turn and run at that instant?" Christine asked wildly.
"I need this job so bad and it can't be that bad not saying anything to anyone. It's not like I have many friends anyhow." Madeleine answered wondering why this young woman who she barely knew was asking all these questions.
"This might sound strange, but…" Christine started to say, but Madeleine cut her off.
"This whole conversation is strange." Christine sighed and began again.
"Can you tell me what the address is here? Erik is making me marry him against my will and I want to escape." Christine said quietly to make sure that Erik couldn't hear anything if he was listening. Madeleine stared at her for a moment. This woman really must be crazy not knowing the address of her own house. Madeleine quickly got a hold of herself and turned to her suitcase. Reaching in the front pocket, she pulled out a small folded piece of paper and handed it to Christine.
"This is the newspaper ad I found with the address on it." Christine looked at it over and over memorizing it and handed it back to Madeleine.
"No, you keep it. You need it more than I do." Christine kept the paper, smiled at her and left her to unpack. When she stepped out in the hallway, she looked around carefully to make sure that Erik was not around. Seeing nothing, she walked into her bedroom and shoved the piece of paper beneath her mattress and box spring. Satisfied with her hiding place and making sure the paper could not be seen, she left the room and made her way downstairs.
Erik was standing in the study drinking a glass of brandy and flipping through a large book. Christine quietly knocked on the door and entered.
"Hello my dear, it seems that you woke up rather late today. You know, when one wakes up that late, half of the day is gone already and you are too late to do anything for the rest of the day." Christine half listened to him already knowing that the statement was bound to make its way out of his mouth at any moment.
"I didn't mean to sleep so late, but I never thought that I would sleep that late. But we were up so late last night."
"Yes, I know, that's why I allowed you to sleep as late as you desired this morning. Erik is going to change for you Christine. I just need a little bit of your time and patience. When I change, you will love me forever and never dream of going back to that stupid boy." Christine hated it when he called Raoul that, for Raoul was not a stupid boy; he was a wonderful man in her eyes. But she decided to keep quiet to avoid a nasty argument. Erik threw the book he was looking through on a large desk and sunk into a nearby armchair.
"Come and sit by me." He said softly. Christine obeyed and sat down on the arm of his chair. Erik began twist at her unkempt hair and asked,
"Christine, when are you going to marry me? Have you even thought about it?" Christine remained quiet for a moment. She did not want to marry him before her letter was received by Raoul.
"I haven't thought about. We just moved in yesterday and I have been thinking too hard on that and not anything else. I am still trying to become adjusted to living here and away from everyone I know." Christine replied.
"I'm apologize for I know I am rushing you." Erik said. Christine looked into his dark eyes and said,
"I will let you know as soon as I am ready. It won't be that long Erik, but the thing is, I don't even know your last name."
"I don't have one." He replied quietly.
"Surely you must. Everyone has a last name."
"I already told you that I don't!" Erik said feeling anger rising up into his throat. Christine got up from her chair suddenly when an idea popped into her head about why she couldn't marry Erik.
"I can't marry someone who doesn't have a last name. For me and someday our children will need a last name." She said and walked out of the room. She headed to the kitchen to make a pot of tea happy with her reason as to why she couldn't marry Erik. Surely they could use her last name, but she knew that it was improper and the wrong way to be married.
Erik remained sitting in the chair not having the slightest clue as to what he was going to do. The earliest thing he remembers of his childhood is of his mother forcing him to wear a mask so she wouldn't have to see his face. He doesn't remember his father being around too much and he ran away from home not knowing his last name or family decent. He thought for a little while thinking on what to do, he finally figured that he would just have to make up a name and claim it for his own. He didn't know for sure, but he thought that was how he acquired his first name as well. Erik rose out of his chair and made his way to the music room where he sat at the new piano playing through Beethoven't Pathetique Sonata.
Christine heard Erik playing and decided that as long as she could hear him playing she could acquire some stationary and a pen. She quietly went into his study and rummaged through his desk drawers still listening for the piano. She opened the second to last drawer on the left side and saw some paper and envelopes. Underneath the paper lie extra wax and a seal which Christine quickly picked up.
Erik finished playing the piano and stood up. If Christine couldn't make a decision about their marriage, he would for her. He left the house and walked with his face secluded by his hat and him walking with it practically under his cloak, he made his way to the nearest church.
Raoul led the police on his horse to the Rue Scribe entrance and ordered them to break down the gate. After 10 men tried they were not able to break the gate down, but were able to push it enough where there was an opening just far enough for 6 of them to squeeze through. Raoul was in front of the pack and led them down to the underground house on the lake. When he saw the boat bobbing on the opposite side of the lake his heart sank. Either they weren't there or Erik never retrieved it from the night Raoul left.
"Come." Raoul said getting into the boat. One other policeman got in while the others waded across the lake. When all 7 reached the front door of the house, they heard the alarm Erik had set up ring inside the house. No one answered. Raoul banged on the door and shouted Christine's name and received no response. He began to panic. Where were they? The police finally heaved themselves against the door breaking it down and ran into the house. It was completely empty and dark. Raoul looked around screaming Christine's name over and over again. There was no answer. Erik has taken her that ugly beast has taken my beautiful Christine! I will search until I find her! Raoul thought after the one policeman told him to give up for there was no one in the house.
"I'm sorry gentlemen, for there was really a man who lived down here. He wore a mask and he kidnapped my fiancée. We have to search all of Paris for them." The policeman looked at him as though he had gone mad leading them to an abandoned house in the fifth cellar of the opera house.
Christine sat on the balcony looking out over the ocean when she began to write her letter to Raoul.
My dearest Raoul,
I am all right, but Erik has decided that we should live elsewhere instead of Paris. He said that if I left Paris it would be easier for me to forget about you. But I will never forget about you and what you said the night Erik took me. You promised that you would come back and rescue me. So I am writing to you to let you know where I am. Erik has not told me our address, I had to secretly go through the maid to find out where I live! I don't understand this man! He says he loves me and acts like he does for one moment and then suddenly goes into bursts of outrage the next. I can only keep quiet and say what he wants to hear to avoid any arguments or outbursts. He has asked me twice already when we are to get married, but I am waiting for you to receive this letter and rescue me. My new address is 223 Rue de L'Ocean Nice, France. Yes, he has moved as far away from you in France as possible. Our house is a large two story at the end of the street overlooking the sea. I beg you, when you come do not allow any violence for I don't think I can bear one more bit of violence in my life. One more thing, do not reply to this letter for Erik is very controlling and will see it. I will be punished badly and you would be at the risk of being killed. However, when you do receive this letter, leave right away to come if you want us to be together. I will pray everyday for your safety until we are united once more. I love you and I will continue to love you everyday for the rest of my life.
Your one and only,
Christine
Christine reread over her letter and began to cry. She wanted nothing more than to be happy with Raoul. She cared about Erik, but not the way she did about Raoul and she wanted nothing more than to see him again. She folded the letter, put in the envelope and sealed it with hot wax. She waited for the wax to dry, took one last look at it and shoved it back to her little hiding spot along with the address. Hearing a knock at the door she shot up from the bed and breathlessly said,
"Come in." Madeleine opened the door and said,
"Dinner is served."
"Madeleine, before you go back downstairs…" Christine started to say walking over to the door and closing it. She walked back over to the bed and pulled the letter out from beneath the mattress and handed it to Madeleine.
"Will you mail this for me on the morning coach? If Erik finds out this was sent he will surely punish me, so I need you to do this for me." Christine said handing the letter to Madeleine. Madeleine just looked at her wondering why Christine was confiding in someone she barely knew.
"I know you are wondering why I am talking to you so secretly considering I just met you. It's just that, I have no one to help me and I know it's a lot to ask on your first day here, but I desperately need your help. Please don't say anything about this letter." Christine's eyes were pleading and Madeleine still wondered about the girl, but she took the letter anyways and said,
"It is strange, but since you put it that way, I will help you in any way that I can."
"Thank you." Christine replied. Madeleine smiled at her and left the room securing the letter in her dress pocket.
Christine looked at herself in the mirror making sure her appearance was the same as it was before and slowly made her way downstairs to the dining room where Erik was waiting for her already sitting at the table. When she entered the room he stood up and pulled out a chair for her across the table and she sat down. Erik walked across the table and sat down in his own chair.
"I have a surprise for you darling." Erik said seductively. Christine who had been staring at the table looked up at him asking with her eyes what the surprise was.
"I went to a local church today, while you were in your room and talked to a priest. I told him my last name, which is Moreau and I told him that we were to be wed in three days." Erik said smiling faintly and then frowning at Christine's expression. It was pure disappointment, for she knew that her letter would never get to Raoul and he would not be able to come before three days. She quickly came up with a little excuse.
"Erik, I don't mean to be rude but I was hoping to pick out the date myself, so I could be more prepared and maybe get a new dress." Erik stared back at her and asked,
"That's the only reason you were putting off the wedding?"
"Well…yes." Christine quickly lied. Erik was too overjoyed to realize that she was lying to him and usually in his right mind he would be able to tell if she was lying or not.
"Well for that my dear, we can put it off for a week. Would that be able to suit you better?" Erik asked sweetly. Christine did a little math in her head and wondered when Raoul would receive the letter and if he would arrive before the wedding day. She figured that he would receive the letter in 3 days and if he left that day he would be here at the latest in five days. That would make it before their wedding.
"Yes, that would be fine." Christine meekly answered.
"Then it is settled then. This time next week, we shall be wed!" Erik announced gleefully. Christine smiled faintly at his excitement but at the same time felt extremely guilty for leading him up to a big betrayal. It was a selfish act, but she wanted nothing more to be happy for once in her life.
That night was spent with Erik playing the piano and Christine listening to the beautiful music that her fiancée played. They didn't speak, only through music until it was midnight and Christine was ready to retire to bed.
"You played beautifully tonight, but unfortunately I am tired and need to go to sleep." Christine said at end of Mozart's Turkish March. Erik rose too and offered to walk her to her room. Christine nodded at his question and they quietly walked upstairs together. They arrived at Christine's bedroom door and she said,
"Well, goodnight Erik and I will see you in the morning."
"Or the afternoon." He kidded about her sleeping so late that morning. Christine smiled and chuckled lightly.
"No, no. In the morning." Erik smiled a small smile and leaned forward kissing her forehead with his deformed lips.
"Goodnight Christine." He said softly.
"Goodnight."